The Avance Epsilon 980 Loudspeakers

Specifications

Type: 3 Way Ported Floor Standing
Bass/Midrange: 2 × 7″ Scanspeak Drivers
High Frequency Driver: 3/4″ Scanspeak Tweeter
Frequency Range: 38-20,000 Hz
Impedance: 4 Ohm
Sensitivity: 89db
Recommended Power: 50-200 watts
Weight: 55lbs
Size, H/W/D: 39″× 8.3″ × 13.8″
Price: $2,099 Recommended Retail
website: www.avance-international.com

In my opinion, the Epsilon 980s are the heir to the throne of $2,000-$3,000 floor-standing loudspeakers. Actual cost is $2,099, but the real question should be “how?” How has he managed to keep the price so low? Consider this: the competition asks way more when boasting even less “PPC” (premium parts count). Consider if you will: dual 7″ Kevlar woven Scanspeak midrange drivers equipped with massive motor assemblies and extra-large voice coils. The Epsilon’s 3/4″ fabric dome tweeter, specially designed with a concave mounting flange. First- and third-order crossovers are employed perfectly in phase; a first-order crossover is used on the mid/woofers, while a third-order high-pass crossover is used on the tweeters to improve power handling. The solid construction of the cabinet was apparent in my knuckle-rap test. Up, down and along the sides I rapped verifying that this speakers a solid design. I’m told that up to 35mm MDF was used in the design and construction to mitigate any unwanted resonance (and hard-hitting knuckle rappers).

The System

Listening was done using the 980’s five feet out from the front wall, precisely in the same spot as my reference (albeit, sadly, out of business) Von Schweikert VR6’s were set. The amplifiers were Odyssey Line’s new stereo Stratos 150, Blue Circle’s wonderful single-ended BC6, and Lamm’s incredible M1.1 monos.

The digital front end was Ed Meitner’s recently updated (3/99) Bidat processor and transport, which requires no intermediate preamplifier. All cabling is the excellent, Harmonic Technology. The Epsilons’ standard dual binding posts allowed bi-wire capabilities with the HT’s Pro 9 speaker cables. Needless to say, the 980’s were ready to dance!

Listening Impressions

Here’s a three-way ported floor-standing speaker that reasonably reproduces the whole frequency range along with an impressive dose of dynamics. However, the Avance 980 truly excels in the area that matters most, and where many others falter in this price range, which is…Envelope, please: the midrange!

Whether choosing between the silky smooth saxophone of Ike Quebec or the hypnotic tenor phrasings of Jose Cura, the Epsilon 980 proved more than competent. The Epsilons maintained the music’s integrity, clarity, and openness, with a remarkable sense of resolve, timbre, and correct tonality. Ike Quebec’s stylistic phrasing in It Might As Well Be Spring (Blue Note 99178) revealed this speaker’s true character. The bold, big sound that becomes immediate in Quebec’s approach is never compromised. The 980’s performance is seamless, from top to bottom, as though listening to one driver. It never shouts or draws attention to itself; instead, it allows the listener to become more intimately involved with Quebec’s tenor expressions. It was amusing to grasp this level of resolution and sophistication in the Epsilon 980s. These speakers handle jazz with exemplary skill.

So, I thought, let’s see how well-behaved this baby is with the dynamic intricacies of the Philharmonic orchestra, featuring Jose Cura (Erato 18838-2). This excellent audiophile recording put the 980s through a rhythmic trial that showcased how well-put-together this speaker really is. Listening to Nessun Dorma, an instant liability with speakers of lesser design, was a pleasure with this speaker. When played at realistic volume, Cura’s voice typically breaks up, and compression of the background choral is heard. This reduces the overall size and scale of this magnificent performance. The 980s demonstrated their true merit in the realistic reproduction of Jose’s voice, neither faint nor forward, but solidly centered between the loudspeakers. There i,s however, a slight sense of strain when attempting to push these babies. That told me when I was driving them too far, and they do not reproduce the same sense of effortlessness as high-efficiency designs, such as the 96 dB VR6s.

That’s not to say, dear reader, that what I have before me isn’t a revelation in its price class. Bear in mind the cost typically associated with loudspeakers supposedly capable of recreating this scale of soundstage and imagery. Never light in the pants either, the 980’s reproduce a tangible, beefy, yet realistic bass that will surprise most big speaker lovers when you consider it’s intermediate size.

What about the potential system buyer on a serious budget?

Okaaaay…you wanna play rufffff…lemmee inaa-duce yuutu my liddle friennnd! Wahhla! Enter the $1,299 Odyssey Stratos 150 stereo amp, along with Bob Finch’s delightfully affordable line of Custom House Cables strapped to these marvelous loudspeakers.

What you now have is the most affordable separates offering the best sound I recall hearing from a system in this price range… ever! Example number one: when some of my friends came over for a visit, I played the incredible Stevie Ray Vaughan cut, “Tin Pan Alley,” from the killer Couldn’t Stand The Rain disc. This disc easily demonstrated all the finesse, speed, bass definition, and control one could wish for in a system at this price range. Stevie’s guitar sounded so clean and so sharp and detailed, without a hint of that etched upper treble emphasis noted on some systems costing far more. My friends swore that the system cost much more than it did. They considered it a bargain if the cost was between $3,000 and $5,000.

Grasshopper….Snatch this Pebble from My Hand

The Epsilon 980 is a bargain hunter’s dream, an audiophile’s starter kit of the highest order. You’ll have to scour the earth like Cane from Kung Fu to find, both in terms of build, parts, and performance, a better loudspeaker. Quite simply, it is a more expensive loudspeaker that’s affordable. Need I say more?

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